358 BRITISH BEES. 



case they are permitted to attempt it before she emerges, 

 this being supposed to be the object of it, as the close 

 texture of the silk of the cocoon would intercept the 

 action of the rival queen's sting. In this state she re- 

 mains in complete repose up to a part of the twelfth day, 

 and it takes about four days more to change into the 

 imago, which is ready to emerge on the sixteenth. In 

 her larva state she has been very carefully and profusely 

 supplied by her nurses with the royal jelly, made in the 

 manner before described. This royal jelly is very sti- 

 mulating, it is pungent, rather acescent, and is very dif- 

 ferent from the food supplied to the drone- and worker- 

 larvse. A great many of the drones being now perfect 

 insects, some young queen, that is ready to go forth, is 

 at length permitted to do so by her guardian protectors, 

 for the old queen is already aware of her existence, and 

 has more than once attempted her destruction, but from 

 which she has been prevented. At a suitable opportu- 

 nity this young queen issues, attended by a bevy of 

 drones ; she immediately ascends in a spiral direction 

 high into the air, far out of sight, and is followed by her 

 suitors. Their larger capacity of flight speedily permits 

 them to overtake her, and they ascend above her ; one 

 being favoured, the rest descend again, and either at 

 once return to the hive or frolic about in its vicinity. It is 

 not long before this young queen returns, matured into 

 an incipient mother. Now comes renewed hostility from 

 her own parent, who is still prevented from the murder- 

 ous assault, but who succeeds in ejecting her young rival. 

 During this contest the hive has become a scene of con- 

 fusion, and the preliminaries and accompaniments of fresh 

 swarming take place, and in going forth she is accom- 

 panied by a large body of the present population, and thus 



